Redwall's Last: Revamped
by Insomniac Jaki
Summary: Redwall’s inhabitants foolishly misinterprets Martin’s warnings. Or did Martin tell them wrong?Watch as Redwall falls and on the anniversary of Martin The Warrior’s death. And all the ancient spirit of Redwall can do is watch as his once beautiful Abbey


(Note for Rinkul and Whitewash at end.)

Redwall's Last (Revamped!)

The bells, Matthias and Methuselah, tolled, signaling the beginning of the feast. All of the Abbey beasts and some creatures of Mossflower entered the Great Hall eagerly. Of course, before the feast, the Abbot had to name the new Champion of Redwall. As everyone sat down Abbot Mahler stood and cleared his throat. The inhabitants of Redwall and Mossflower fell silent and Mahler began to speak.

"Dear Creatures of our beloved Abbey and Mossflower, we are gathered here to celebrate the anniversary of Redwall's greatest warrior, Martin The Warrior, and his death. Many, many seasons ago our great warrior defended the creatures of Mossflower from the evil wildcat, Tsarmina. Now we gather to celebrate! But before that we must carry on the tradition of naming Redwall's new Champion. Martin appeared to me in a dream last night and told me who to choose!" Cheers arose from all present, with the exception of a red Fox sitting beside the Abbot. This went unnoticed, however. Abbot Mahler silenced them with a few waves of his paws. "Redwall's new Champion is," Here the Abbot paused for dramatic buildup. "Triller!"

Cheers of approval rang up through the Great Hall. Triller, the red fox seated at Mahler's side, was a worthy candidate. He came to Redwall not long ago and immediately befriended them. He was nice, charming, and helpful. He even played with the Dibbuns when they were bored. Triller stood and spoke as the cheering died. "I am honored to be the new Champion and I hope to be able to defend you all when needed."

He sat back down and the cheering returned as Abbot Mahler declared: "Let the feast begin!" With that, the Abbey dwellers tucked in.

No one noticed as Triller and a few of the larger Mice slipped away from the feast and out of the Great Hall.

No one noticed as Martin's Sword disappeared.

&-&-&

The red Fox and Mice exited the Abbey at the south gate in the back -the gate and walls unprotected as all were at the feast- and slipped into the forest. They moved swiftly and silently. Martin's sword was in it's scabbard and slung across his back. As they neared a glow in the clearing ahead of them they slowed to a walk. Triller lead the oversized Mice into they clearing and they left him to stand beside a ditch. Triller continued on and approached a large Stoat, who sat on the other side of the clearing.

Crag, the Stoat leader of an army of Foxes, Rats, and Stoats, watched as Triller, the Fox Captain of his army, laid before him the legendary sword of Martin The Warrior. Crag grinned a scraggly toothed grin. He had it! After days of waiting for Triller to gain their trust and steal the sword he had it! He listened in surprise as Triller told of how he stole the sword. He hadn't expected for the Abbey creatures to just give Triller the sword on a dead mouse's whim, but he wasn't complaining. While Triller waited for a response from his leader Crag tested the weight of the sword and thought 'Perfect!'

The Rats that had infiltrated Redwall disguised as Mice pulled off their green tunics and the Mice fur covering their natural fur. They tossed their disguises into a ditch where, at the bottom, seven Mouse carcasses rested; their fur was almost completely gone from their bodies. Crag swung the sword at one of the Rats and watched in satisfaction as the Rat's body fell in two: he had cut along the Rat's waist. It cut quite cleanly. The others watched in fear, hoping that Crag wouldn't come after them. He didn't.

Triller watched emotionlessly as all this happened, having discarded his green tunic as they returned to Crag's army with the sword. Crag approached him but he did not flinch away; he stood his ground. "You did well, Triller! When we conquer Redwall I will give you riches beyond your wildest dreams!" Triller merely nodded in reply, a stoic expression covering his face. The stoat strode away, calling orders to prepare for the attack on Redwall. While his outside expression showed nothing, on the inside Triller was devising plans and making mental movies of how Crag would die by his paws.

Crag gave out the final instructions and the army gathered there weapons. The information Triller gave him would aid him in his plan. When they were ready they left the clearing and marched through the woods; Crag in the lead. When they were at Redwall they entered through the gate Triller had exited out of and slipped into the Abbey. The plan had commenced.

&-&-&

Music filled Cavern Hole as Mice, Voles, Moles, Hedgehogs, Otters, Hares, Squirrels, a Badger, Dibbuns, and even the Guosim tribe danced the night away. The feast had ended earlier on. The tables and chairs that occupied Cavern Hole had been pushed to the side to make a dance floor. Beasts of all ages swayed to the entrancing music, which was a well known war song played by the Hares using pots to drum on and a sort of lute. The vocals consisted of two young hares and a shrew maid.

We marched forward

Onward to war

To battle the confound toads

While we took a brake

Next to a lake

The trackers found a new road

We marched along

Singing Marching songs

When, by the toads, we were attacked

So we took up our weapons

And didn't waste a second

In fighting the enemy back

It was a bloody war

That's for sure

But we held back those buggers

And when the war was done

And the fight was won

We filled our bellies with supper!

It was a simple song and by the end you knew that hares wrote it. They laughed lightly and dancers twirled in circles with and without partners.

&-&-&

Crag watched the display from the shadows in amusement. He turned and nodded to his army and a few of his creatures walked forward. They stuck to the shadows and approached those with their backs turned silently. Each drew their weapon of choice: daggers, short swords, and dirks. With one quick slice the beast of their choice was dead. But no one noticed because the killers covered the holes in the corpses' backs so no more blood would come out and no one would notice.

Crag signaled for the next few of his army to take out some more creatures and for the ones who held up the dead ones to make it seem as if they were still alive by making them dance.

&-&-&

Soon, only a few were left alive. That's when one of the dancers got close enough to smell death. She wanted to scream when she got a glimpse of the rat behind the corpse, but she was a tough water vole, so she slowly danced with the ones she sensed and smelled to be alive and told them of what was happening. Then she slowly made her way to the Abbot were she then related what she saw.

The Abbot was shocked into silence and the Badger mum of Redwall took control. While the corpses continued to dance she gathered those still alive and they slipped from Cavern Hole. They would have gone to the Great Hall but when they were about to enter they spotted the Rats patrolling the inside.

The Badger mum, Rosaline, had to cover one of the Mice Dibbun's mouth to stop him from screaming. She ushered them up the stairs and into the Dibbun's dorm room were she locked the door and blocked it with one of the dead one's bed. As soon as she was done the Dibbuns started to cry and several maids whimpered and broke down, too. The Abbot took count of who was alive. He reported to Rosaline, "Only forty-eight are alive including you and me: that's three Squirrels, eight Shrews, one Vole, twenty Mice, one Badger, five Hedgehogs, and ten Dibbuns."

The Abbot sighed and Rosaline gathered together everyone except the Dibbuns who had been ordered to go to bed. They all began to brainstorm, trying to figure out a plan to save themselves, the Dibbuns, and, above all, the Abbey of Redwall.

&-&-&

It had been three days since the army had laid siege to Redwall. Crag sat in a tent, which had been erected in a dark corner of the Great Hall. He sprung up and out of the tent when an idea formulated in his mind. He spotted Triller sitting at a table and pawing at a dagger on his makeshift belt, which was really just a piece of rope. Growling in triumph, Crag approached Triller, sat beside him, and relayed his plan. Triller nodded in agreement before saying in a menacing tone that, for such a cunning stoat, Crag didn't notice, "Yes, your plan is a very good one. But, before that, you really should rest."

While saying this Triller's paw was slowly inching toward the hilt of Martin's Sword, witch was thrust into it's sheath and hung at Crag's side. "Yes," he was saying, "You should be well rested before executing a plan of such caliber." With that, Martin's Sword was pulled from it's scabbard and Crag's head was rolling across the floor. "Sleep." He cooed.

Triller stood and took the scabbard from Crag's body and strapped it on so that the sword hung on his back like the first time he had it. Turning to the on looking army of vermin he announced: "The mighty Crag has been killed by me! Now, I am your leader! Any who oppose me will die! Any objections?" No one moved; they knew of Triller's power, having fought alongside him many a time. Seeing this, he proceeded to tell Crag's plan to them.

When the army was ready they marched to the dorms where those still alive resided. They had discovered them by searching through the rooms and coming across the locked door. Crag had tried to get them out, but they opened the door wide enough to throw a sharpened piece of wood at him, piercing his shoulder, then closed and barricaded it again. Knocking, Triller announced, "We have some of your friends! If you wish to see them you will come out one-by-one!" Of course, this was a bluff. They had the corpses of their friends, set to look as if they were alive; but only the army of vermin new that.

They fell for it. The door opened, but instead of them all stepping out one-by-one, they charged out, several holding makeshift weapons such as window poles and pieces of sharpened wood –made from the legs of chairs and beds- for lances; even the Dibbuns charged out with a few sharpened pieces of wood.

Cries of "FOR REDWAAAAAALLL!" and "LOGALOGALOGALOGALOG!" and "EULALUIAAAAA!" filled the air as starved Abbey dwellers and Mossflower inhabitants made a final attempt to save the Abbey. They knew they would not live this through so they decided to go down fighting.

It was a horrible way to die. The kind and caring and peaceful creatures of Redwall Abbey were forced to shed blood. Those who knew how to fight, such as the Guosim, were a bit harder to take down, Rosaline too. Triller's army was using the corpses of the creatures they had killed three moons ago as a sort of shield. Dead bodies fell every which way as Redwallers and vermin fought, though the vermin were at an advantage both in numbers and skills.

Rosaline, a former Badger lord of Salamandastron, was the hardest to take down. She was caught up in the terrifying grip of Bloodwrath. She took down enemy after enemy only to come face to face with Triller; and the sword of Martin The Warrior. "You! You betrayed us! You played us for fools and we bought every word of your lie! I'll kill y-!"

Normally, nothing could stop a Badger in Bloodwrath, but the rest of her words died on her tongue as Triller ran Martin's Sword through her heart. Rosaline fell dead with Triller standing over her, wiping the blood on her fur. He ran forward and took out the Abbot, who had stood paralyzed over a Stoat he had just killed. He wasn't used to fighting; the time he had spent in Redwall had been a peaceful one. Triller went throughout the small fray, killing all the Redwallers he could find.

Triller was suddenly knocked down as a Shrew stood over him. The Shrew looked down at him, a rapier in his paw. Triller wasted no time in using Martin's sword and taking the Shrew's paw off. The Shrew let out a shriek of pain, but it was quickly silenced as the evil Fox brought the sword through the Shrew's stomach. The Shrew let out a strangled sound and the last of Redwall's defenders fell dead. He looked around at the dead bodies of all of the Abbey beasts, even the Dibbuns. Triller smiled a humorless smile. Yes, this was a good victory indeed!

He was in control! He ruled Redwall! The place where even the strongest vermin warlords could not win. He triumphed where others failed! The Fox stood in his enemy's remains and laughed. Not one of those evil laughs or, if it were possible, a nice laugh. It was twisted, holding no humor at all. A mad beast's laugh.

He won.

&-&-&

Martin The Warrior looked on in horror. His once beautiful Abbey was falling into the paws of Triller's army. If only the Abbot had heeded his warning or had not so foolishly misinterpreted his dream! He went through the message in his mind. What was it?

(Skip if you want.)

Beware the forest of the night.

The forest of eternal night where

Fox's roam with plans to kill.

Who will free the good from the forest where

Wishes of better days go unheard?

To such darkness good is bad.

Be the one who will destroy good

Champion of the forest

Of perpetual night.

The only hope is the savior turning the darkness into an

Abbey of light.

(No more skipping, please.)

His eyes went wide as he saw the mistake he had made. The poem's meaning was revealed when one read the first word of each line. Sadly, he had accidentally replaced the part where Controller was supposed to be with the word Champion! He let out a strangled cry as he fell to his transparent knees. The Abbey was dieing because of a mistake he made.

As he watched the last battle he couldn't help but think, 'It's like a dance of corpses in a graveyard.'

The Abbey died.

&-&-&

Divide And Conquer

By Story Of The Year

Does the shadow live forever?

Will this graveyard be the dance floor for these corpses?

Will they be the first to fall and dance the night away?

Why do we do this to ourselves?

We're buying every word they sell?

Starving loved ones carry our guns.

Take a look at what we've become.

Hungry nations standing in the ashes of our enemies' remains.

So we dance the night away.

&-&-&

(Riddle translation. Beware. The. Fox. Who. Wishes. To. Be. The. Champion. Of. The. Abbey. Read the first letter of each line. Martin accidentally said Champion instead of Controller.)

A/N: Yes, this was rushed, I admit it. The idea was whopping me in the head and I wanted to get it out fast so I could focus on other things (coughsuckishmathgradecough). But, two reviewers, Rinkul and Whitewash, gave me pointers and Whitewash sort of convinced me to redo this. THANK YOU! If I do a sequel it will be dedicated to you two! And, Whitewash, sorry, but those gory parts where part of the idea whopping me. "The Stoat stood in his enemy's remains and laughed." I bet some of you who read that the first time got confused. Sorry, I accidentally did that because I forgot Triller killed Crag.

Thanks to those who reviewed the first time: grubswiper, clara200, Rinkul, and Whitewash! I love you guys like brothers and sisters!

(N/A from first time.)This story was inspired by Story Of The Year's 'Divide And Conquer' Out of any of the morbid shit I've ever written I like this the most. The part where the Rats are wearing the Mice's fur is inspired by the book and movie, 'Silence Of The Lambs'. Pretty creepy, huh? Well, you can't steal this because I'm going to rewrite it with humans to see what my teacher thinks of it. I might even enter it into a contest. But that depends on my mood. I'm even thinking of doing a sequel story to this. Tell me if you think I should or leave this be. Well, enough of my ramblings. Please Review. Flames will be laughed at! Ja ne!

Insomniac Jaki


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